Running 200 km in March for Global Anaesthesia

Thank you ever so much everyone who has donated so far during my December and Christmas fundraiser, it means the absolute world. However, December has only be warm-up and I am not stopping here! With the governmental international aid being significantly decreased when we face  the biggest public health challenges of our lifetime the individual donations from amazing and thoughtful people like yourself are now more important than ever. Thus I have decided to challenge myself to run 200 km in March, I hope you will be able to support me through this sport challenge fundraiser.

Africa has a population of  approximately 1.2 billion people , however 95% still do not have access to safe and affordable surgery.  It is absolutely shocking that significantly more people die annually, within thirty days of an operation, in low or middle-income countries (LMIC) than from HIV, malaria, and tuberculosis combined (Lancet 2019)

Frequently the first operative procedures that children undergo world-wide are the ones involving Ear, Nose and Throat. 
ENT surgeons perform more paediatric surgery in most hospitals than any other surgical department. 
The Kilimanjaro Christian Medical Centre (KCMC) in Moshi, Tanzania has 630 official beds, 1300 staff and  catchment area of more than 15 million people, no any permanent Consultant Physician Anaesthetist and all the general anaesthesia in the hospital is performed by approx. 25 nurses with one year of training only. 

We have designed new course tailored to the African hospital environment  to teach  safe anaesthetic induction, the management of paediatric ENT emergencies such as airway obstruction, foreign body aspiration (approx. 200 cases a year in KCMC), post-tonsillectomy bleeding,  cricothyroidotomy, tracheostomy management and haemorrhagic shock.
An emphasis on human factors and creating a safe operating theatre environment is of paramount importance to us, wherever surgery is undertaken.

Post-graduate medical courses and continuing education are not yet well established in sub-Saharan Africa.
This type of education needs to be appropriate for each country’s needs and should ultimately be led and devised locally and most importantly free of charge. Long-term, local doctors and nurses, at every level, should demand and deliver this type of medical education. 

Thus, The International Paediatric ENT and Anaesthesia Skills Course was designed to improve outcomes and safety
in an African environment and to try and reduce further morbidity and mortality in paediatric surgery.  We have encouraged team co-operation in the care of patients, building on the WHO surgical safety checklist and implementation manual for safer operating theatre working practices through interactive practicals, tutorials and lectures. 

In order for us to continue with this fantastic work, we need further  funds for the simulation equipment and with overall costs of running the course. All international teachers, with wealth of teaching and clinical experience  are involved in the course as volunteers. 

Thank you so much for your support, any donation is making tremendous difference 
Dr Aleksandra Kotwica PhD, MBBS, MRes, BSc (Hons)
Anaestethics Trainee, Lister Hospital
& the International ENT & Anaesthesia Skills Course Team

Nepogodiev D, Martin J, Biccard B, Makupe A, Bhangu A, Ademuyiwa A, et al. Global burden of postoperative death. Vol. 393, The Lancet. Lancet Publishing Group; 2019. p. 401.